Three Kingdoms, I'm really not a general!

Chapter 653: Moving towards a new era?
With the support of Liu Bei and the help of Xing Daorong, the technology of the Han Dynasty began to take off.

Xing Daorong felt as if he had gone astray, but at the same time, he didn't feel as if he had deviated.

Logically speaking, Xing Daorong had done enough to unify the country and eliminate the threat of foreign races in this day and age.

But when he thought about helping his nation unify and integrate the world, Xing Daorong couldn't help but feel excited.

He originally wanted to release all his knowledge just to build a think tank, but it was all absorbed by the elites of that era.

After various novel experiments, the elites of this era quickly discovered the foundation of all technology.

Steelmaking!
This is also what Xing Daorong wrote in the book.

All the iron in the world can be turned into steel.

Steel is more balanced, durable, and less susceptible to corrosion.

When Zhuge Liang and others saw this, they knew that steel had higher strength, toughness and plasticity than iron, so it was widely used in construction, manufacturing, transportation and other fields.

Looking again... it also says "High temperature can remove impurities and turn iron into steel."

Now that I have told myself the answer, how can I still sit idle?
So the craftsman's workshop began to get busy again.

In fact, the key to turning iron into steel is not only to reduce the carbon content and remove impurities, but also to adjust the properties of the steel by adding alloy elements and heat treatment.

But the understanding of the latter paragraph cannot be explained in just one or two sentences.

It can only be carried out through exploration throughout the ages.

But the first half of the sentence is enough to keep me busy.

First of all...it's about getting high temperature.

By designing better enclosed kilns, the temperature can be increased by taking advantage of the accumulation and reflection of heat.

Speaking of which, the kid from the Xun family seems to be really talented.

After completing the design of the steam water wheel, he designed the dragon kiln and the steamed bun kiln. Through the long flue and arched structure, the heat distribution was more even and the temperature could reach over a thousand degrees!

Then the vertical structure is adopted, and the chimney effect is used to enhance the air flow, thereby increasing the temperature inside the furnace. The interior of the blast furnace is built with refractory materials - clay, which can withstand high temperatures.

Xing Daorong was completely numb from watching this.

It is said that the kiln designed by Xun Ya is almost the same as the earthen kilns of later times.

The sunlight shines on the outer wall of the earthen kiln, and a wisp of green smoke slowly rises from the chimney on the top of the kiln, making it look peaceful and mysterious.

When Xing Daorong approached the earthen kiln and saw the design inside the kiln, he was stunned and completely numb.

The kiln has an ingenious structure, divided into two layers, the upper layer is used to place pottery blanks, and the lower layer is the combustion chamber.

In the combustion chamber, charcoal and coal are stacked in layers, and the vents are designed just right to ensure sufficient oxygen supply and evenly distribute heat.

The kiln walls are made of refractory clay, and the surface is as smooth as a mirror, obviously having been carefully polished.

The chimney on the top of the kiln stands tall, using the chimney effect to quickly extract hot air and rapidly increase the temperature inside the kiln.

It's simply... so exquisite that it looks like it was made by an instrument!
Although he was prepared, Xing Daorong was still stunned. It took him a while to come back to his senses and murmured, "This... this is simply a masterpiece! Mr. Xun, the exquisite design of this kiln is truly breathtaking!"

As Xing Daorong spoke, he turned and looked at Xun Ya, his eyes full of shock and admiration.

Xun Ya smiled slightly, waved his hand, and said modestly: "General, thank you for your praise. This kiln can only be built thanks to your daily guidance and support."

"If it weren't for the general's profound attainments in smelting and firing, how could I have thought of these details? The general's wisdom and experience are the key to the success of this kiln."

Although Xing Daorong had given some guidance, it was limited after all.

To put it bluntly, he himself had never made this thing, so what could he say? After hearing this, he felt touched and ashamed. He knew that although he had made some achievements in smelting, Xun Ya's design was far beyond his imagination.

He quickly said, "Mr. Xun is too modest! The exquisite design of this kiln is beyond my reach. Your talent is truly admirable!"

Xun Ya was not that excited.

Still calm, he smiled and said, "General, you are too kind. If this kiln can help our army make further progress in weapon manufacturing and pottery firing, it will be a joint achievement between you and me. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to give them to me."

However, Xing Daorong knew that this was not a problem with weapons manufacturing.

The people of this big man...will soon be living in tin houses!

Reinforced concrete…

Xing Daorong felt that he might see him again in this lifetime.

...

That's exactly what happened.

With the support of Xun Ya's kiln, in a steelmaking workshop on the outskirts of Chang'an, the fire was blazing, lighting up half the sky red.

The craftsmen worked shirtless, sweat streaming down their backs, the hammers and pliers in their hands flashing a cold metallic light in the firelight.

In the center of the workshop, a huge steel-making furnace stands tall, with raging fire in the furnace and hot air waves blowing in the face.

The craftsmen put the selected iron ore into the furnace, and the ore gradually melted under the high temperature and turned into red-hot molten iron.

The bellows beside the furnace whirred, and the craftsmen pulled the bellows hard to send more air into the furnace. The flames suddenly rose higher, as if a fire dragon was hovering in the furnace.

As the molten iron tumbles in the furnace, craftsmen carefully add charcoal and limestone to remove impurities.

The molten iron gradually became purer and its color changed from dark red to bright orange-yellow.

The craftsmen scooped up a spoonful of molten iron with a long-handled iron spoon and poured it into the pre-prepared mold.

The molten iron slowly cools in the mold and gradually solidifies into a hard block of steel.

After the steel block was taken out, the craftsmen repeatedly forged it with a hammer, sparks flew, and the steel block gradually became tough and elastic under the hammering.

Every hammer embodies the craftsman's hard work and wisdom, until the steel block is finally formed into a sharp sword or a solid piece of armor.

Xing Daorong looked at the scene in front of him and felt only the word "magical".

In this era... can you see this scene?
He was shocked, and Himiko beside him was even more shocked.

Himiko stood at the door of the ironworks, her eyes fixed on the scene before her, as if she was in a mythical world.

There was only one thought in my mind: "Is this the human world?"

"This can only be a wonderland!"

The imperial palace in Chang'an was so shocking that Himiko couldn't recover for several days. She even had the idea that being ruled by the Han Dynasty was not a bad thing.

Even when facing Xing Daorong, he did not think of him as an invader, but rather regarded him as a savior.

She had never seen such a magical scene, and this power was far beyond her imagination.

Himiko's eyes were filled with shock and awe. She murmured to herself, "Is this... is this a divine technique? It can actually turn ordinary iron into a divine weapon!"

She was originally confident in the witchcraft she mastered, but at this moment, those witchcraft seemed so insignificant in front of this steelmaking technique, like a firefly in front of the bright moon...

(End of this chapter)